Toilet paper dispenser



June 5, 1951 c. BOORD 2,555,531

TOILET PAPER DISPENSER Filed March 19, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 c. BOORD TOILET PAPER DISPENSER June 5, 1951 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1946 I/en i0? 5% M Patented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOILET PAPER DISPENSER Clarence Boord, Leon, Iowa Application March 19, 1946, Serial No. 655,394

3 Claims. 1

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, graceful, modernistic, artistic, durable, cheap to manufacture, economical of paper, easy to install, toilet paper dispenser, which is easy and natural to operate with one hand, which will provide a spare roll of paper so that the occupant of a sanitary stool need never be embarrassed with an empty spool, and which is as simple to reload as setting a roll of paper on a table.

I have achieved this by two peg-like spindles, supported at their lower ends by a supporting frame having a central eye or hole for fastening to the wall, which said frame may be rotated in a vertical plane, causing aforesaid spindles to point upward either right or left as desired for permanent installation. It is necessary that these spindles be sufficiently spaced from the wall and from each other that a full roll of paper may be thrust downward over each spindle.

Figure 1 illustrates a parallel spindle design of my toilet paper dispenser, without paper, as it i installed on a wall for right-handed people. Fig. 2 illustrates the same parallel spindle design loaded with two full rolls of paper. Fig. 3 illustrates a conservative non-parallel spindle design of my toilet paper dispenser without paper as it is installed on a wall in an equi-vertical 12:00 o'clock position. Fig. 4 illustrates the same non-parallel spindle design loaded with two full rolls of paper. Fig. 5 presents a side view of the same design, without spindles, i1- lustrating in particular the convex nature of the wall-bearing surface.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, I provide a frame, as a whole, referred to as I. Frame I has a convex wall-bearing surface 2 which is borne against the wall of the toilet room by wood screw 3, through central eye or hole 4. Supporting arms 5, 5 extend outwardly from convex wall-bearing surface 2 and the wall, at nearly right angles to each other and forming an angle greater than 90 between the wall engaging surface and the arms. The outer ends of supporting arms 5, 5 are bent upwardly to form prongs 6, 6. Peg-like spindles l, l are rounded on all ends and are hollow in one end each, in a rifle-like manner 9, 9 to receive upright prongs 6, 6. The spindles are notched at their lower ends ID to accommodate the arms 5 so that the ends of the spindles extend below the arms and are non-rotatable with respect to the prongs 6. Rolls of toilet paper 8, 8 are thrust downward over upwardly pointing spindles 1, 1.

In making installation on a wall, as near as possible, the upper ends of spindles l, I should point towards the palm of the hand, the user wishes to use, while the arm is in a comfortable position, which means that most installations will be made with the spindles, or the one handier spindle, pointing towards 12:00 o'clock, 1:00 oclock or 2:00 oclock approximately. In dispensing paper, the user places the palm of the hand near the top of the roll, dislodges the free end of the paper by flicking the fingers partially around the circumference, draws the paper outward and then downward to tear it loose from the roll.

The angle of upright prongs 6, 6 relative to supporting arms 5, 5 should be degrees or less. Thus the braking action of the weight of the rolls of paper 8, 8 against supporting arms 5, 5 will always be applied at the lower outer circumference of the rolls. The braking action of the weight of the rolls of paper 8, 8 against spindles I, l and mainly against supporting arms 5, 5 prevents an excess of paper being accidentally unrolled. In making the tear as the end of the paper is pulled downward, this braking action is greatly multiplied sufficiently to prevent the roll from unrolling farther while tearing. Upright prongs 6, 6 may be parallel to each other as in Figure 1 or they may diverge from each other as conservatively illustrated in Figure 3 at 6a. Upright prongs 6, 6 may be parallel to the wall as in Figure 1 or they may diverge from the wall as conservatively illustrated in Figures 3, 5. Thus with the non-parallel design when two full roll of paper 8a, 8a are in place as in Figure 4, maximum or additional room is provided at the upper ends of the rolls for dislodging the loose end of the paper with the fingers. The frame la, arms 50., wall bearing surfaces 2a of Figs. 3, 4 and. 5 are substantially the same as described in Figs. 1 and 2.

Since the upper ends of the rolls are unobstructed and easily accessible, the user will dislodge the free end of the paper by merely flicking the fingers partially around the circumference, grasp the free end, pull out and then downward to tear, all in one smooth easy graceful connected movement, without the accidental unrolling of excess paper.

There is no reason why this device could not be adapted to dispense any radially wrapped ribbon-like material which will rupture or tear. Materials other than toilet paper which might be dispensed with this invention would probably be of a paper nature. The most obvious use, other than toilet paper, that occurs to me is the dispensing of paper towels.

The convex wall-bearing surface with a-universal eye or hole illustrated in Figure is of particular value if either it or the Whole main frame is stamped of sheet metal on a forming die. The more or less jagged, uneven, small surface presented by the turned edge will become slightly embedded in the wall and prevent the Wall-bearing surface from Working loose from the wall and rotating out of position, especially if part of the perimeter of the convex wall-bearing surface is eccentric or tangent to the universal eye or hole.

If the wall-bearing surface, main frame or entire unit is molded of plastic or soft metal in a mold on a production basis, I doubt if a convex Wall-bearing surface with one universal eye or hole would be of any value, due to the softness and non-resilient nature of the material. In such a case, I think two eyes or holes should be made in the Wall-bearing surface in a vertical line to prevent it from working loose and out of position, even though ease and variety of installation are sacrificed.

Having described my invention in this specification, I submit the following claims:

1. A paper dispenser comprising a bracket having a wall engaging surface, a pair of arms projecting from said bracket, said arms being dis posed at an angle of substantially 90 with re spect to each other and at an angle greater than 90 with respect to said surface, and spindles adapted to be encircled by a hollow-core roll of paper mounted adjacent the outer ends of said arms, having their axes in a plane substantially parallel to said surface.

2. A paper dispenser comprising a bracket having a wall engaging surface, a pair of arms projecting from said bracket, said arms being disposed at an angle of substantially with respect to each other and at an angle greater than 90 with respect to said surface, prongs adjacent the outer ends of said arms projecting upwardly in a plane parallel to said surface.

3. A paper dispenser, comprising a spindle for rotatably holding a hollow-core roll of paper, means for non-rotatably supporting said spindle at one end includin a braking surface for engaging the outer margin of said roll of paper and a Wall engaging surface, said braking surface being disposed between said Wall engaging surface and said spindle at an angle of less than 90 to the axis of said spindle, and more than 90 with respect to said wall engaging surface.

CLARENCE BOORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 670,562 Hornbostel Mar. 26, 1901 1,180,284 Cook Apr. 25, 1916 1,216,782 De Wolfe Feb. 20, 1917 1,488,123 Kershaw Mar. 25, 1924 2,025,732 Dodelin Dec. 31, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 428,715 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1934 

